WASHINGTON: The United States said on Thursday that it would provide military and intelligence support to the offensive launched by Saudi Arabia and its allies against Houthi militants in Yemen.

In a statement issued by her office, US National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said that President Barack Obama had authorised “logistical and intelligence support” to the military operation and was also establishing “a Joint Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate US military and intelligence support”.

On Wednesday night, Saudi Ambassador Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir told a news briefing in Washington that a 10-member coalition was participating in these operations.

“Based on the kingdom’s responsibility to Yemen and its people, Saudi Arabia, along with its allies within the Gulf Cooperation Council and outside the GCC, launched military operations in support of the people of Yemen and their legitimate government,” he said.

The Gulf Cooperation Council includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The ambassador did not name other members of this coalition but officials in Riyadh told the Saudi media that Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Sudan were also contributing troops to the ground offensive.

“The operation will be limited in nature, and is designed to protect the people of Yemen and its legitimate government from a takeover by the Houthis,” Ambassador Jubeir said.

The Saudi Embassy also announced that 150,000 Saudi troops and 100 warplanes were taking part in the operation.

Ambassador Jubeir said Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi had requested Saudi Arabia to help his government fight the militants and that’s why the operation was launched.

US National Security Council’s spokesperson Meehan said that Saudi Arabia, GCC states and “others” had decided to “undertake military action to defend Saudi Arabia’s border and to protect Yemen’s legitimate government.

She said the United States had always coordinated closely with Saudi Arabia and its GCC partners on issues related to their security and shared interests.

She explained that while US forces were not taking direct military action in Yemen in support of this effort, “we are establishing a Joint Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate US military and intelligence support”.

The United States, she said, was also closely monitoring terrorist threats posed by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and would continue to take action as necessary to disrupt continuing, imminent threats to the United States and its citizens.

“We strongly urge the Houthis to halt immediately their destabilising military actions and return to negotiations as part of the political dialogue,” the US official said.

She said that a violent takeover of Yemen by an armed faction was unacceptable and that’s why the United States supported a legitimate political transition.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

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